News and Blog

Professor Ian Rees Jones has been appointed as the new Director of WISERD.     Based at Cardiff University, Professor Jones will lead the Institute which has become a major centre for social science research excellence in Wales and beyond. Talking of his new position, Professor Jones said: “This is a very exciting time to…

Professor Chris Taylor will present his findings on Devolution and Geographies of Education: the use of the Millennium Cohort Study for ‘home international’ comparisons across the UK. Using the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), a recent longitudinal birth cohort study specifically designed to provide the potential for geographical analysis, Professor Taylor will present his highly publicised research…

The third podcast of the WISERD Research Podcast Series is now online:  Professor Chris Taylor discusses developments in his evaluation of the Pupil Deprivation Grant (PDG).   This two-year evaluation will look at how schools have used this new grant and what impact this additional resource has had on these children and young people. The PDG was…

Professor Chris Taylor has uncovered evidence that children at age seven in Wales do not do as well as their contemporaries in England when it comes to literacy. Professor Taylor has found that whilst children in England and Wales score equally in assessments on their numeracy and non-verbal reasoning, the gap in literacy levels between…

WISERD researchers delivered presentations at this year’s Eisteddfod in Denbighshire. Mirain Rhys, Dr Kathryn Sharp and Dr Martin O’Neill delivered presentations at this year’s Eisteddfod on Thursday 8th August in Denbighshire. As part of Cardiff University’s presence at the event, WISERD researchers took part in the Discuss Cardiff space.  This provided an opportunity to showcase the…

Urban Rhythms: Mobilities, Space and Interaction in the Contemporary City will be launched on Tuesday 6th August at Cardiff University.   The book is a Sociological Review Monograph, an edited collection which brings together a range of scholars working in a global range of cities. The chapters of the book, based in cities from Rio…

Dr Kate Moles is working closely with Cardiff University’s School of History, Archaeology and Religion on the Heart of Cardiff Heritage Walk Dr Moles has teamed up with colleagues in the School of History, Archaeology and Religion on the CAER Heritage Project to develop a heritage walk from the Caerau Hillfort to the new Iron…

WISERD researchers reveal how coming from a ‘low participation neighbourhood’ has little affect on a students’ progress through HE Professor Chris Taylor and Professor Gareth Rees have found there is no significant effect on the progress of students in Higher Education who come from areas of widening access. The recently published research, in the Contemporary…

WISERD researchers provide annual report on the evaluation during its first year and provide a summary of the research findings from Stage I. The Foundation Phase is the statutory curriculum for all 3 to 7 years old children in Wales in both maintained and non-maintained settings.  It is based on the principle that early years’…

Front page news! Lead story in the Western Mail on the annual report to Welsh Government as part of the Evaluation of the Foundation Phase. The online copy of the lead article can be viewed below. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/foundation-phase-report-deals-blow-5376601